The Skull that was Bones
by Bamboloccia
Summary: When Temperance receives a mysterious package in the mail, her wits are taken to the test. She has to solve her own murder before it actually happens.
1. Chapter 1: Skull and Bones

Finally, this story is done! It took almost a year to write, but it was worth it :)

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_**"Skull and Bones'**_

_The night was dark when Temperance Brennan entered her apartment with an arm full of mail. She closed the door with her spare foot, and clicked the light switch with her elbow. She headed toward the counter and plopped her armload of papers and packages onto it. She smiled, happy to free herself of the load and started to organize the letters and packages into piles. "Ad, bill, fan mail." Her eyes drifted to one peculiar package. It was brown, quite large, and very carefully packaged. She looked at her piles, and decided to open it first. She grasped the bronze letter opener and sliced through the tape with ease. She didn't remember ordering anything. It probably was just an author sending her their transcript to their book._

Carefully she opened the sides of the box. As she glanced inside the box, her mouth dropped. The contents of the box consisted of a skull. She opened her purse and removed a pair of latex gloves and pulled them on. She clutched the skull and carefully pulled it out of the box. She held it up to the fluorescent kitchen light to more carefully examine it. She tapped the skull with the nail of her index finger. "Plastic," she stated quizzically. "It looks so real." Holding the skull up to the light she rotated it slowly to study it from every angle. She discovered that the back of the skull held a meticulous engraving in bold letters.  
Temperance read the engraving aloud,

"COME AND SEE WHERE THIS VICTIM WILL LAY, FOR SHE WILL DIE IN JUST ONE DAY."

Temperance speed dialed her FBI partner Agent Seeley Booth. Booth and her were crime-fighting partners. She used her intelligence in the field of Forensic Anthropology, and he used his street like skills. Together, they solved countless murders, and gave back the identity of victims that essentially had lost their faces.

"Booth speaking" He said groggily, rubbing his tired eyes. He lay in his bed, and had been sleeping until the phone rang.

"Booth," Temperance began nervously, "someone mailed me a plastic skull!"

"It's not the first time you've received a weird gift from some deranged fan." Booth chuckled. Booth squinted at his alarm clock. "Bones it's two o' clock in the morning, get some rest. Can't we deal with the insane tomorrow?"

"I don't think it is from a fan. There's an engraving on the back." Temperance read the engraving to Booth.

"COME AND SEE WHERE THIS VICTIM WILL LAY FOR SHE WILL DIE IN JUST ONE DAY."

"I'll be over in a few minutes. Man, I hate lunatics!" He said as he sat up in his bed and wiped his eyes again.

"All-right." she said, and hung up the phone.

She looked at the skull on the counter. It was strange how uneasy it made her feel. She backed away from the skull and sank into an armchair to wait for her partner. She was too nervous to just sit, so she began marking the skull with some tissue markers made of erasers that she had in her bag.

Finally the intercom buzzed. She pushed the button to open the building door.

Booth took the stairs two at a time. The tone in his partner's voice had made him a little uneasy. He knocked at the door.

"It's open," Temperance called.

Booth yawned as he entered the apartment and found his partner who was hunched over the counter table placing pieces of eraser onto the plastic skull.

He studied the skull. "You know, Bones, this skull is not real! Why in the world are you putting erasers on it?" Booth questioned. "It just makes it more creepy."

Temperance picked up the skull to show her partner, "Look at the sutures, and the texture," she explained, pointing to the skull. "All the anatomical details are exactly perfect!"

"Bones, what are you getting at here?" Booth inquired intently.

Temperance answered, "Booth, this is an extremely precise replica of an actual skull!"

"Okay…." Booth said. His brow furrowed, as he looked more intently at the skull.

"The nasal arch and cheek bones indicate that a Caucasian female."

"Age?" Booth asked hunched over to take a closer look.

"Late twenties, early thirties."

"So this is what a Barbie's skull looks like." Booth grinned.

"I don't know what that means."

"Do you think that Angela can put the plastic head in the Angelator to figure out the mystery suspect?"

"Yes, of course." She answered, "By the way, this is not a Barbie."

"I'm running on two hours of sleep Bones. You woke me out of bed, I am allowed to make a joke." He pointed to the door. "Let's go" She carefully put the skull into the box and headed toward the vehicle while she speed dialed Angela, who would probably be in bed at this hour. But, she would help her. That's what she loved about her friend, always there for her.

When they arrived to the Jeffersonian, Temperance behind Booth while she carefully grasped the package to secure the safety of the evidence. "Come on Bones hurry up!" Booth insisted. She glared at him still staying her pace. "The faster we figure this is a prank, the faster I can go to bed." Booth said.

As she had assumed she was in the Angelator room with the weekly squint, the depressed Colin Fisher by her side. (Angela probably called Colin, who was working in Limbo at the time. But, most people knew he spent most of his time talking to the young Gothic janitor.) They were getting the computer ready to scan the skull. When Angela saw Temperance she came over. "How are you holding up sweetie?" Angela asked soothingly. Her hair was in a loose ponytail; her makeup put on haphazardly, small bags under her eyes, and was wearing gray sweats.

"Fine, but it would make me feel better if we found out who this who this person is. Booth wants to go back to bed." Temperance stated as she carefully pulled the skull out of the box. Angela looked stunned, "When did you this?" Angela asked pointing to the protruding erasers from the skull. "I did the tissue markers when I was waiting for Booth to come to pick me up." Temperance said. Temperance carefully handed the Skull to Angela to scan. Angela carefully pinpointed the points and put them in, and in thirty minutes time she was done. Angela smiled, "Are you ready to see our mystery subject."  


_"Can we hurry it up, I need to go back to Limbo." Colin complained._

"I think this is more important than to 'Gothic Dude'." Angela grinned, she pressed the button to reveal the skull on the hand-held screen before projecting it onto the large 3D monitor.

"OH MY." Angela's voice quivered.

"Angela, What's the matter?" Temperance pleaded

When Angela pressed the button to reveal the unknown suspect the whole room went silent. There was fear in the room, lots of it. Booth could only stutter three words "B.... Bones it's... you!!!" Temperance couldn't move, while she stared face to with herself. This was definitely not a prank. This was a threat.  
**  
TO BE CONTINUED . . . . . . . **


	2. Chapter 2: THE MIRROR IMAGE

CHAPTER TWO:

**THE MIRROR IMAGE**

The fear in the room was so real that it seemed possible to see its horrible dark appearance. Temperance's eyes were still glued to the screen. She kept on blinking, hoping the image would somehow go away, but it didn't. The image of her face was still there as if she was looking at herself in a mirror.  
Booth broke the silence, "This is not possible! Angela, you must have it wrong!"

"Angela is very good." Temperance whispered, but still with sincerity.  
"How in the world did this person make...your skull?" Booth asked.  
"Reverse engineering." Angela said.  
"What do you mean by that?" Booth questioned with great insistence.  
"It is the process of discovering the technological principles of a device, an object or a system through analysis of its structure, function and operation." Temperance announced.  
"English. Please!" Booth pleaded.  
"You start from the final product, work yourself backwards, and figure out how the object was made." Angela revised.  
"Okay, I get that, but how did they make Bones... skull!" Booth hastily demanded.  
Temperance explained starting in more layman terms this time. "If you have several three dimensional scans of the head, in theory, you should get a three dimensional image of the skull. But the skull is too complex with many different details and this process was proven not to be possible."  
"Well it's real now!" Booth interjected.  
Temperance re started, "There is only one person I know of who could make this monumental breakthrough."  
"Great, who is it?" Booth asked his nerves still on edge.  
Temperance turned toward Angela and said, "She is!"

* * *

"What?" Angela questioned, "What do you mean it's me?"  
"I didn't say it was you. I meant you're the only one with the acumen to do this."  
"What do you mean Bones?" Booth asked.  
"Angela has made the Angelator which is an amazing devise which can make 3D rendered skulls. Also don't you remember she was able to make several skull prototypes for the woman who only had the skin left because an illogical woman took bones to make some money?"  
"Yea...but, honey this is not my work." Angela replied.  
"I know I said that!" Temperance said.  
"Then who did this?" Booth asked.  
"Some genius with an Incredible IQ!" Angela announced throwing her hands up not knowing what to do.  
"How much time do we have?" Booth queried.  
"Not much." Temperance declared.  
"What do you mean not much?" Angela asked.  
"To my calculations, if I am supposed to die in a day and it was delivered to me which would approximately..."  
"Bones get on with it!" Booth interrupted.  
"About 10 hours, but Booth we don't know who this person is let alone what their motive is."  
"But we have to take this as serious threat Bones. We still don't know who this nut job and what he is planning to do!"

* * *

"I don't know where to start." Angela announced. Her face had morphed into a scared expression. For once she did not know how to help. She had always been able to understand the inner workings of things, but now she was drawing a complete blank.  
"I'll Call Sweets, and see if he give us a profile of this weirdo; maybe use some of his Jedi mind tricks to find what this person is up to. Angela, I need you to call Cam, and Hodgins we will need all the help we can get." Booth said.

Cam arrived first, making a big running entrance into the room. With an exhausted breath she asked. "Okay, I got the message, but what is going on?"  
Hodgins came in and almost knocked Cam over while he asked: "Explanation, please!"  
When both of them saw Angela's finger pointing to Temperance's face displayed in the air.  
"Wow!" both Hodgins and Cams voices intertwined.  
"You got that right." Angela said.  
"This is not funny. Angela, stop playing jokes!" Cam called out.  
"This is not a joke, Cam." Booth said.  
"Explanation please. I am dying for an explanation!" Hodgins begged.  
"I came home, opened a package and found this with a engraving on the back." Temperance answered as she picked up the skull to show the engraved letters.

"COME AND SEE WHERE THIS VICTIM WILL LAY FOR SHE WILL DIE IN JUST ONE DAY." Cam read.  
"I noticed the extreme realism of the skull, asked Angela to put it into the Angelator, and my face came out."  
"I don't know how it is possible to make such a precise and detailed skull of Tempe, without her being there. This is beyond what is technologically possible." Angela proclaimed  
"Well, I guess some tormented Einstein figured it out and is taking it out for a test drive." Hodgins figured.

When Sweets rushed into the room the first thing he noticed was the 3D projection of Temperance's face. "Wow, Dr. Brennan that is awesome! Were you made Employer of the Month? What do I have to do to get my mug shot on that thing?"  
"Sweets, I need you to use The Force to figure who is the person behind this mystery?"  
"What mystery are you talking about?" Sweets asked.  
Booth gave Sweets the skinny.  
"Sure, what's the big deal?" Sweets proclaimed nonchalantly "I can tell you right away who this person is!"

* * *

"What?" Colin Fisher asked. Every one turned around to look at him not realizing that he had been there the whole time.  
"Oh I am correct I am invisible oh, the agony!"  
"Shut Up Fisher!" Hodgins replied.  
"Wait...You know the person's name?" Booth asked while he gave the universal Shut up sign with his hand to Hodgins and Fisher.  
"No! Gee I'm good, but not that good! I mean I know this kind of personality." Sweets said.  
"Oh...okay then what is it." Booth said sort of sheepishly.  
"This person is very prideful, if he just wanted to kill Dr. Brennan he would have just done it. But he wants to outwit her he thinks that he is smarter and wiser. This person wants to get under her skin wants to take control. This person probably had a poor upbringing and has always been under someone else's thumb. He figures by doing this he can show the world that he is smarter and be at the top of the tandem pole." Sweets said.  
"This is a weird way of doing it!" Angela announced.  
"Well yea, this guy is immoral with a possessive aggressive attitude. He can't see through reality he thinks everything is a game and he has to win."  
"Wait you mean this person is likely to play games all the time?" Booth asked with great thought.  
"Yea any kind of game, he is very creative, but the games are probably vulgar because well, he is delusional!" Sweets answered.  
"Booth, what are you thinking about?" Temperance asked.  
"The one person that I know of that likes to play games from Bone's books..." Booth answered.  
"Oliver Laurier!" Temperance announced.

TO BE CONTINUED.........


	3. Chapter 3: Behind the Glass

CHAPTER 3

**_Behind the Glass_**

_"Hello Agent Booth, long time no see." Oliver's sly voice spoke while Booth entered the F.B.I interrogation room. Oliver was comfortably seated on the metal chair and smiling devilishly._

_"Where's Doctor Brennan?" Oliver continued, his smirk seemed wider to Booth and it seemed it had consumed all of his face.  
"Do you know why I brought you in here Oliver?" Booth asked dismissing the question that was placed before him.  
"No" Oliver stated plainly  
Booth started showing him the images of Temperance's face that the Angelator printed off._

_At the same time behind the glass of the F.B.I interrogation room Temperance and Sweets were listening in._

_"So what do you think Sweets do you think he is the assumed candidate?" Temperance asked Sweets while still looking through the glass trying to decipher anything that could mean he is the killer.  
"He has the attitude, but."  
"But what?"  
"This guy doesn't seem smart."  
"What do mean doesn't seem smart?"  
"Well, first look at the way he is dressed."  
"You can't tell any thing by appearance," Temperance interjected then continued. "Einstein was brilliant and didn't care about his clothing."  
"Yes, I know. But look at his clothing it is not taken care of very well. You see to have made this skull the person would have to have a process and to be very organized. This guy is very sloppy it looks like he just grabbed stuff out of his dirty laundry."  
"You mean my killer is very Meticulous."  
"Very good Dr. Brennan."_

_"AHEM!!" Booth's voice spoke trying to shut them up._

_It was very hard for him to concentrate with the sound of their quarrel echoing through his ear.  
Oliver Laurier was looking at the pictures still stunned at the appearance of Temperance's face on portraits next to him._

_"Is Dr. Brennan dead?" Oliver said in a confused tone.  
" No, not yet." Booth said.  
"What do you mean not yet is someone going to hurt Dr. Brennan!" Oliver said with fright in his voice._

_"Hey, Booth" Sweet's voice came on the microphone in Booth's ear "This is not our guy, he just has a crush on Dr. Brennan. We are looking for someone entirely different."  
"Booth we only have about three hours left!" Temperance announced._

* * *

_While Temperance and Booth were interrogating Oliver Lauirer, Angela, Hodgins, Cam, and depressed Colin Fisher were at the lab.  
Hodgins had swabbed the Skull for particulates and was busily looking at very small things under his very large microscope, while Cam swarmed over him like a hawk trying to understand his method and desperately trying to unscramble this great puzzle that conformed into her mind.  
Angela was in the room with the Angelator trying to figure out how this soon-to-be-killer of her best friend was able to do a thing that her in her life's experience could not even get a grip on. She also had to put up with the insanely sad Colin Fisher._

_"How could this person make a skull of a person who isn't even dead?" Angela said out loud.  
_

_"To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,  
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,  
To the last syllable of recorded time;  
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools  
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!" Colin Fisher quoted Shakespeare_

_"Now you see why Hodgins threw you out of his place. Perk up, death boy." Angela stated while her thoughts kept continuing to swarm throughout her mind._

_"I FOUND SOMETHING HUGE!!!!!!" Hodgins said while he sped into the room almost knocking over a chair._

_"What is it?" Angela asked.  
_

* * *

_ Every one gathered around Hodgins computer squinting at the parallel charts that was shown on the screens, but the sound of a telephone ringing made them loose their focus. Every one checked their phone, but it was Colin Fisher who had gotten the phone call._

_"Hello?" He said answering the phone, and then his face went pale.  
"What's the matter honey?" Angela asked.  
Colin dropped his phone out of his hand, and dropped to the ground.  
"What's the matter?" Cam asked again hoping for a response.  
Colin started weeping, but managed to talk. "M….my mother was in a car crash and has been life flighted into the Emergency hospital in Bethesda."  
"Oh sweetie!" Angela said.  
"I can't leave though, I need to help catch Dr. Brennan's killer!" Colin stated stoically.  
"Yes, you will. We have it all under control. Go to your mother!" Cam commanded.  
"But." Colin started.  
"No buts! Go!" Cam finalized.  
"Go dude." Hodgins said with sympathy.  
Colin grabbed his coat and ran down the platform and out the door. The group stood there to grasp what had happened.  
"Poor guy." Angela said.  
"Yeah." Both Cam and Hodgins echoed._

_The group was silent. The kind of silent that people hate, the silence of sadness. The silence that makes your heart feel heavy, and makes you feel cold._

_"So what did you find Hodgins?" Cam said trying to change the mood and subject.  
"Oh, yeah. I found that the skull had been placed on the ground." Hodgins said  
"And why are we interested about that?" Cam interrupted.  
"I noticed that the skull picked up some chemicals from off the ground" Hodgins continued.  
"What kind of chemicals?" Angela asked.  
"It's a floor cleaner that consisted of high ammonia, laureth sulfate, chlorine and various pertrochemicals." Hodgins said displaying the graph on his computer.  
"Still I don't see the significance?" Cam said.  
"I checked around to see if I could find the exact strain of cleaner it was, and I stumbled over something mega huge." Hodgins said  
"What?" Angela questioned.  
Hodgins pulled up the computer page. With one name highlighted to be the candidate.  
" The Jeffersonian" Cam read.  
"This cleaner is specially made for the Jeffersonian." Hodgins added,  
then Angela said._

_**"You mean to say, Brennan's would be killer works in the Jeffersonian!"**_

* * *

_Booth and Temperance were in Booth's car coming back from the F.B.I interrogation room and heading to the Jeffersonian. They were both in deep thought. Hating the uncomfortable quiet, Booth broke the silence.__"You know Bones, this guy is not going to get you on time."  
"Well, how do you know that? You can't see in the future." Temperance said.  
"What I mean is...just look at the time." Booth said pointing to the clock inside the car.  
"Oh" she said then laughed. She had been preoccupied and was happy to see that there was only five minutes left before the deadline set by in the threatening message. But, her logical self still had doubts.  
"Still like you said though," Temperance began "We still don't know what he is planning to do."  
"Be positive. Bones. Be positive."  
"I am just being logical, and even you said it."  
Booth opened his mouth just about to say something, but the chiming of Temperance's cell phone cut him off.__"Dr. Brennan." Temperance said answering the phone.  
"Hey I found something!" Hodgins announced from the other side.  
"It's Hodgins." Temperance said putting the phone on loudspeaker.  
"Yes, Hodgins what did you find?" Temperance said trying to continue his statement.  
"Oh, I found that at some point the skull might have been set on the ground and had picked up ammonia, laureth sulfate, chlorine and various other petrochemicals." Hodgins stated.  
"What is that?" Booth asked.  
"Basic floor cleaner." Temperance answered then continued, "Hodgins I don't see the relevance."  
"I looked up the floor cleaner to see who makes it, and found that it is a cleaner specially made for the Jeffersonian."  
"Oh, so the killer works in the Jeffersonian." Booth cleared.  
"He is not my killer! He has to kill me to be my killer!" Temperance concluded.  
"I know that Bones." Booth said.  
"Well obviously not!"  
"Bones I…" Booth started but Hodgins cut him off.  
"So are you guys going to come in?" Hodgins asked trying to interrupt of the quarrel and back onto the case.  
"Yeah, we will be coming." Temperance said shutting off the phone__.  
__ "You know Bones, you seem to take me for being dumb sometimes." Booth said flipping the blinker to make a right turn.  
"No I don't Booth!" Temperance announced.__"Did you hear yourself? He's not my killer. He has to kill me to be my killer. What's that supposed to be a loving remark?"  
"I was just correcting you Booth. You are very astute."  
"You really think that I'm smart?" Booth asked smiling.  
"Yes, very." Temperance concluded.  
"Thanks Bones! You are too."  
"Yes, but I knew that already!" she said.  
Booth started to laugh.  
"What's so funny?" she asked smiling. Then she picked up her phone because it had begun to ring again.  
"You Bones. You are funny!" He said.  
"Dr. Brennan." Temperance said answering the phone then her smiling face turned to shock.  
"What's the matter?" Booth asked.  
Temperance turned the phone to loudspeaker.  
"You know your time has run out Dr. Brennan." A robotic voice sounding voice said.  
"Who is this?" Booth asked.  
"You know I can't say." The unusual voice answered laughing happily.  
"Why are you after me?" Temperance asked.  
"You always thought that you were so smart didn't you, but I had you in the palm of my hands all this time. But, you won't be able to think how anyone could outsmart you, because you are going to die in ten seconds."_**_  
_** _**"JUMP! BONES JUMP!" BOOTH SCREAMED. **Booth's car screeched to a halt right before it blew up. __  
_


	4. Chapter 4: The Clues in the Wreckage

Chapter 3:  
**"Clues In the Wreckage"**  
**(Part One)**

Black smoke engulfed Agent Seeley Booth's SUV, while the flames from the fire grew larger. The smoke billowing from the cars engine kept onlookers from being able to see what had happened. The explosion had broken many windows of the nearby George Washington University. Many students that heard the blast were fleeing from the doors of the university while dialing 911 frantically. Students could already hear the sirens of the emergency vehicles approaching the scene. People, who minutes ago had been casually strolling the sidewalk now stood frozen in disbelief. One car trying to avoid hitting the wreckage skidded to a halt. The blast had frightened children inside a nearby school bus. While a few of them were cradled up in arms of a teacher that were soothing the fearful child. While the bus driver was trying to call 911.

The piercing sound of car alarms triggered by the gigantic explosion forced some of the bystanders to cover their ears. If on lookers looked hard enough they could see the shards of metal which were twisted around into distorted, oddly formed pieces of what seemed to be a vehicle at sometime, but it was really hard to think of something that deformed could ever be a car. The whole base of the car was torn apart. A bystander would even say, "No one, no one could of survived a blast like that!"

But, a faint voice could be heard over the wreckage.

"Bones! Bones! Are you okay?" Booth tried to yell, but when he tried to call out a stinging breath of black smoke came into his lungs making it difficult to speak. He tried to stand by bracing his hand on the ground, but it shot back excruciating pain. He was eventually able lift himself up with his other arm. The only thing going through his mind was,

"Where is Bones? Where is my partner?"

* * *

His heart was beating rapidly. He didn't know what to do. With each step he flinched. Blood ran down his face, but he didn't care. He just wanted to know where she was. He wanted to know if she was okay. "BONES WHERE ARE YOU? BONES!" he called out, but his lungs filled with the ugly thick black smoke and it was nearly impossible to yell. "Where is she?" he thought to himself. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Sir, you need to come with me." A masked firefighter told him shielding his eyes from the heat.  
"I can't!" Booth said still looking intently for his partner.  
"Sir, you need come out now!!" The firefighter said, then motioned the way out.  
"I can't I am looking for my partner!! She is in this mess!! I need to find her!!" He spoke coughing rapidly.  
"I think we have found your partner, but you need to come out NOW sir!"  
Booth picked his way through the thick black smoke, the firefighter by his side helping him walk because of the gaping wound in his right leg. Once he and the fireman had cleared the smoke of the wreck the fireman removed his mask to reveal a gigantic black eye. "Your partner is sure a fighter." He said pointing to his eye. "She gave me this, because I wouldn't let her go back in the wreckage. She also gave my partner a fat lip." The firefighter chuckled as he touched his sore eye.

"Wait, is she okay?" Booth questioned taking a long deep breath of the clean air.  
"She will survive, but she did receive some injuries." The firefighter said rubbing his bald head.  
"Okay where is she!" Booth asked fervently anxious to see her.  
The firefighter pointed to an ambulance. Booth found Temperance trying to free herself pleading, "You don't understand my partner is in there." She said pointing to the massive billowing heap of wreckage. She tried to stand up, but several nurses held her down while the other one spoke. "Mam, you need to sit! You can't stand up like this." They reassured her, and they were right she couldn't stand up like this. She was bleeding heavily from her legs. She still fought and threw punches and tried to stand, then grimaced with the pain.

"BONES!" Booth said finally able to scream. This scream though wasn't out of fear it was out of happiness. HIS PARTNER WAS ALIVE!  
"BOOTH?" Temperance rejoiced at seeing her partner alive. She tried to stand, but the nurses pulled her back down. Booth limped over to meet her while the nurses swarmed in around him.  
"Bones are you okay?" Booth asked while looking and examining her legs. He wasn't able to look at them long. The wounds were deep and it hurt him too see them.  
"Yes, I'm fine. What about you? You don't look so good." She commented looking at the wound on his leg.  
"Yeah I'll be okay, but this better not happen again!" He said with a sharp tone.  
"What do you mean happen again?" She asked not quite following his line of thought.  
"Bones, he'll try again. We were lucky this time. We need to catch this lunatic before he strikes again!"

* * *

Hodgins, Angela, and Cam sat in the lab at a metal table, all of them were thinking out loud.

"Do you think that this guy made the skull here?" Angela asked tapping her fingers on the table  
"It's possible, not probable though someone would have noticed. He probably brought it back here for some other reason." Cam said  
"But WHAT, is the question." Hodgins said rubbing his face from exhaustion. The squints (Cam, Angela, Hodgins, and Colin Fisher who had recently left.) had not had any sleep in the last twenty-four hours. They were too busy trying to figure out who this potential murderer is.  
"I've got it!" Angela proclaimed running from the room.  
"GOT WHAT?" Hodgins asked getting up to chase Angela, Cam following behind him.

Angela ran to the Angelator, picking up the remote.  
"What are you doing Angela?" Cam asked  
"I was thinking, this guy used technology that might be similar to mine." Angela said staring at the remote bringing up the records of her log-ins onto the 3d screen. "You see," Angela continued "if the guy worked in the Jeffersonian, he probably was in contact with the Angelator." She started to bring up her passed logs.  
"Angela what are you saying?" Hodgins asked with a curious expression on his face.

"Here it is. Sunday the 1st 3:40 AM and Tuesday the 16th 4:30 AM."  
Both Hodgins and Cam looked confused.  
"You don't know what I am getting at do you?" Angela asked  
"NO" Hodgins and Cam concluded at the same time.  
"Come on guys! 4:30 AM? My shift doesn't start tell 8:00 AM!" She said pointing at the 3D screen.  
"Someone else is using the Angelator?" Cam asked.  
"But no one uses the Angelator except you!" Hodgins replied.  
"Exactly." Angela stated.  
"Wait, so you are saying this person has been using the Angelator?" Cam asked.  
"Yes" Angela concluded

* * *

The group was in shock, but Angela was still looking at the logs in the 3D projection. She kept on staring, looking to see if she was missing something. She skipped through various logs with a very curious look on her face.

"Angela, what are you doing?" Cam asked.  
"I was wondering if he truly did it on the Angelator I think he would have needed more than two logs-ins. The only possible explanation is..."  
"The program was uploaded!" Hodgins interjected finishing Angela's line of speech.  
"Wait, what do mean uploaded?" Cam wondered  
"They copied the Angelator's software so they could work on the skull somewhere else where no one could see them. He also probably tweaked the system so it could do 3D rendering. If I could just figure out how they did it might be helpful in catching him."  
"Wait, isn't the Angelator monitored by camera's though?" Hodgins asked while he slumped into a metal folding chair by the Angelator.  
"You are brilliant, Hodgins!" Cam announced.  
Cam, Hodgins, and Angela quickly raced into the security room to check on the video recording to see if they could catch their perpetrator in the act.

* * *

There was a security guard in the room. His legs were comfortably nested on the table next to him and leaning on the back of the chairs two legs. His head fell backwards and he was snoring loudly.

"Lorenzo." Cam called the guy reading his name from his badge. Lorenzo woke up falling backwards onto the floor. Hodgins snorted trying not to laugh. Angela smiled.  
"Lorenzo, we need your assistance. We need the camera recording inside the Angelator room for Sunday the 1st 3:40 AM and Tuesday the 16th 4:30 AM." Cam asked.

Lorenzo stood up and rubbed his eyes and spoke in a deep rough tone. "Yes, I can help you with that....um"  
"Dr. Saroyan." Cam said shaking his hand. Lorenzo smiled and sat back in his chair scooting it towards the desk. Then using the mouse he went into the computers video log.

"Where is it? Ah...Here we go." Lorenzo said clicking on the icon and used the slider to find time they needed. To their astonishment the video showed an empty room full of....nothing! Nothing was there, and the sense of emptiness seemed to stare back at them. The room was vacant, dark like it would be early in the morning. It was just bare, no sign of anything or anybody.

"What exactly am I supposed to be looking for?" Lorenzo wondered giving a 'You woke me up for this?' look on his face.  
"No! What is this? Are you sure this is the right date?" Angela asked.  
"Yep." He said bluntly showing the time and date on the bottom right of the screen. When he saw that they new he was right he scrolled to the next date, January 16th. The next video recording was the same as the previous one, an empty room.

"This is wrong! This is all wrong!!!" Angela shouted in anger.  
"Obviously this person doctored the tapes." Hodgins answered coming over to Angela to soothe her. Cam's phone rang, as answered she walked out of the room.

"Well, if you guys don't mind I'm getting out of here my shift is long past due." Lorenzo said waving them good-bye, and grabbing his jacket and heading out the door.

Angela was upset. Her face was pale. She was desperate she wanted to help her best friend, but didn't know how.

"How am I suppose to help Tempe if there is nothing to go on?" Angela asked in frustration. She slid down the wall, sat on the ground, and put her face between her knees.

"It's okay Ange, it will be okay. You will catch them." Hodgins replied. He gently knelt down and placed his hand on her shoulder.  
"How do you know? How do you know I will catch them?" Angela asked peering her face out of her knees and gentle teardrops trickled down her face.

"You are the Kung Fu master of technology, baby. You will find out how he did this. I know you will."  
Angela chuckled, and wiped her tears off of her face.  
"Wax on. Wax off." Angela joked. Hodgins laughed, and stood up lending a hand to Angela.  
"Do you need a hand?" He asked smiling. Angela reached for his hand, and he lifted her up. "Thanks Hodgins." Angela grinned.

Cam came running into the room.  
"Dr. Brennan and Booth were in an explosion. Somehow someone strapped a bomb underneath the car. They are in an ambulance heading for the Holy cross hospital in Bethesda." With that the group was out the door and heading for the nearest exit out of the Jeffersonian Institute.

* * *

**Sorry it has taken so long to upload another part of my story, I have been busy with school. **

**Thanks for your patience,**

**Bamboloccia**

**P.S. I work on my FIC IN sections. Sorry if it sounds a little choppy.**


	5. The Clues In The Wreckage part 2

**The Clues In The Wreckage**

**(Part 2)**

* * *

The Holy Cross Hospital in Bethesda seemed to be in a state of commotion much higher than usual. The traffic of people and vehicles by its front entrance was really hectic when the Jeffersonian team arrived. Hodgins, Cam, and Angela were having a hard time trying to find the reception desk.  
"Where in the world is it?" Angela asked.  
"It has to be here, somewhere!" Cam replied.  
"Guys" a familiar voice called them.  
They turned around.  
"Sweets? What are you doing here? Do you know where Dr. Brennan and Booth are?" Hodgins asked.  
"Booth called me to do some profiling. Come with me, I'll show you where they are." Sweets lead the group to the 4th floor and pointed, to the rooms Booth and Bones had been assigned. "There they are, rooms 410 and 411." Angela pushed Sweets out of the way while they all made their way into one of the rooms.  
"The polite response would be could you please move Sweets? Yes, I can move, thanks for asking." Sweets said underneath his breath as he followed them into the room.  
Temperance was in her bed tapping on a laptop, while Booth was sitting in an armchair next to her talking on the hospital phone. He immediately waved at the group as they entered the room, and hung up the phone. Angela was the first to talk.  
"Wow! You are not doing too shabby, considering what happened to you."  
"Because of your car going ka-blooey the traffic had to be rerouted; half of the Washington P.D. and F.D. were at the scene of the accident; the George Washington University sustained $ 100,000.00 in damage to their windows. Now you guys are talking on the telephone and tapping on the computer as if youâ€™re recovering from a stupid bike accident..." Hodgins explained  
"A bike accident wouldn't consist of these significant injuries." Brennan corrected.  
"One thing I would like to know is how you managed to survive that big of an explosion?" Cam asked.  
"We got a phone call. Someone said in ten seconds we would die. We just figured there was a bomb in the car, so we jumped." Temperance stated.  
"No Bones, I had to tell you to jump." Booth corrected.  
"No, I knew!" Temperance reiterated.  
"Did you recognize the voice?" Angela asked, stopping the spat.  
"It sounded male, even though it was disguised." Temperance answered.  
"What do you mean disguised?" Sweets wondered.  
"The guy sounded like Mr. Roboto." Booth said.  
"I don't know what that means." Temperance stated.  
"Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto?" Booth asked.  
"What happened to the cell phone?" Angela asked.  
"I lost it when I jumped from the car." Temperance explained.  
"Booth, have the F.B.I techs trace the cell phone. Even if it's broken I can still extract some data from it, and get you something to go on." Angela said.  
"Yeah, I was planning on doing that." Booth replied.  
"Now, this guy is coming on waaay too strong." Sweets stated.  
"Well, the bomb in the car...that's a given." Booth said.  
"But why did he need to disguise his voice if he was about to kill you? And why did he need to give you a 10 seconds warning, which is enough time to jump out of the car? I think the guy didn't really intend to kill you. He just wanted to hurt you really bad and terrorize you. He wants to play mind games with you and make you feel helpless. The best thing is to back away so he can't get to you." Sweets finished  
"I do not feel helpless, and I am not backing away!" Temperance argued.  
"Bones, be reasonable! Sweets is right. You need to back away a little. This guy is nuts. You need to retreat a little." Booth said.  
"Booth! I AM reasonable." Temperance insisted.  
"Bones, I don't want you to end up in the morgue!" Booth said sternly.  
"Okay guys that's enough!" Cam announced breaking up the quarrel.  
"Booth is the F.B.I techs searching the car?" Hodgins asked.  
"Yeah, what's left of it. Man, that was a sweet car." Booth replied rubbing his face from dismay.  
"It's just a piece of metal, Booth. It can be replaced." Temperance said.  
"Yeah, a good looking piece of metal." Booth answered.  
"Can you get the F.B.I. techs to take everything to the Jeffersonian?" Angela asked.  
"It's already taken care of. My car heap will be in the Jeffersonian in about an hour. I'll see if I can come a little later, but someone needs to stay with Bones." Booth said.  
"Booth I am not a child! If you are going I am coming!" Temperance said belligerently.  
"Bones, your legs are hurt. It is better if you stay here and I can get some security over here." Booth said calmly.  
"Booth your leg is hurt too, so I will come on crutches just like you." Temperance announced.  
"No. You both are going to stay here. Get some rest. Then maybe you can help catch the bad guy." Cam said.  
Cam gestured for the group to come with her, and they walked out the door.  
"Why did you give them permission to catch the bad guy? That is just like giving them permission to get out of the Hospital!" Hodgins asked.  
Cam replied, "We all know Dr. Brennan and Booth. Do you really think they will stay anyway? Now come on, we have to catch a bad guy."

* * *

"Bones what are you thinking about? Booth asked, seated next to her hospital bed. Temperance was very quiet. Her head was tipped slightly to the side, and the expression on her face was of curiosity and of frustration.

"I don't get it. This perpetrator is completely illogical. If he wanted to hurt…me, why did he get you involved? You know…?"

"Hey, Bones…" Booth said, sitting up a little, and placing his hand on her arm. "I don't want you to get unhinged over this. It's okay. We will find him."

"Well, it's just like any other case." Temperance said masking her upset expression.

"No, it's not. Listen Bones, it's not like any other case. This guy is completely nuts. We need to keep you safe."

"I am not unhinged Booth, I can take care of myself."

"Okay Bones, it's personal. You're everything he hates."  
"What is that exactly?"

"You know, you are a smart, strong, confident woman. And he wants to prove that you're weak and inferior."

"But I am neither weak nor inferior."

"Exactly, Bones. Exactly."

Temperance smiled and she seemed to ease up a little. Booth slowly eased comfortably back into his chair, glancing at the crutches by him.

"Booth, you know the nurse is going to get angry." Temperance stated.  
"What do you mean by that?" Booth asked giving a half smile.

"Well you are not supposed to get out of your room without a nurse rolling you into a wheel chair. It's rules and regulations, Booth."

"I am a self-sufficient man, Bones. The only reason they do that is because they are afraid to get sued."

"Not exactly. They do it because they don't want patient to fall."  
"Because then they get sued." Booth interjected grinning.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. The door opened slowly to reveal Colin Fisher's face.

"What are you doing here Colin?" Brennan asked while she motioned him to come in.

"My mother is here. She is on the third floor. When I heard on the news you had been in an accident and you were sent here, I checked with the receptionist. It is a day of casualties." Colin said breathing a deep sigh.

"Well, we are healing up satisfactorily." Temperance stated.  
"Still, you must feel helpless." Colin said.

Booth quickly rose his hands up shaking them wildly mouthing "no, no, no" over again.

"I am not helpless!" Temperance said her voice raising an octave.  
"Bones, he knows that! Don't you Colin?" Booth asked giving a deadly glance.

"Yes of course!" Colin said trying no to put his foot into his mouth, but a breathed a sigh of relief when the hospital phone began to ring.

"Hello" Booth said answering the phone.

Then the deadly robotic voice began to talk. "It's nice to know you're alive!"

* * *

"Who is this? What do you want?" Booth screamed. Lines on the top of his brow started straining, because of his anger.  
"Good-Bye" The other side of the phone clicked.  
Booth still clenched the phone in his hand. The anger felt like it radiated off of his body. Who was this person to do this to them? What is his reason? What did they do to them? Who was he to do this?  
"Who was that?" Colin Fisher asked.  
"Was that him?" Temperance asked, but she already knew what the outcome of the answer. She saw Booth's face, she had never seen him so mad. His face twisted into a unkind expression.  
"Yeah" Booth whispered. In frustration he rose from his chair, and tore the phone from the hook and tossed it across the room causing the telephone to shatter into many pieces. He stared at the ruins, making his mind flash back into a horrible regressing nightmare. He stood in agony panting rapidly. His mind went back inside the blast, the memories rapped around every moment of horror.  
"Booth. Booth? Booth!" Temperance's voice jolted Booth out of his lurid thoughts.  
"If I ever get a hold of this man…. I am going to rip his head off."  
"What do you mean man?" Temperance asked.  
"You said the voice sounded male, hence he is a man." Booth said.  
"I didn't say it was a male, I said it sounded male." Temperance cleared  
"What do you mean Bones?" Booth asked, his temper growing.  
" The rolling code and frequency domain make it so we can't hear what the gender is. Even though it did sound male does not mean that they are." Temperance said. She looked at Booth knowing how he felt, his agony, his frustration. She knew how it felt. She had been in his place before.  
"So we know nothing!" Booth fumed. His anger seemed that it broke his personal thermometer, and Infuriated steeming liquid flowed out of him. "Bones, what do we have to go on?" He asked gnashing his teeth.

* * *

"Okay what do we have?" Cam asked, swiping her card and walking onto the platform, where Sweets and Hodgins were.  
"Look at this!" Hodgins exclaimed spinning his chair over to another computer screen.  
"I have been looking at the chemicals used in the bomb placed in Booth's SUV, and I found something really interesting."  
"Okay, shoot!" Cam said, getting closer to the screen.  
"Ammonium nitrate, Nitroglycerin, and other ingredients were used in the bomb. I did a Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy for a more detailed look. I found that the same amounts used in the explosives, are used in by the one and only..." Hodgins said clicking to the next frame to reveal the answer.  
"... CSFEX: Christina Special Effects." Cam read.  
"Wait, he works in the movies?" Sweets asked.  
"Yeah, he works in the movies!" Hodgins confirmed with a big smile, happy that he is getting closer to finding the perpetrator.  
"And when I scanned the skull - Hodgins continued- I discovered that the polymer used to make the skull is also used by CSFEX."  
"So he has been using materials from movies special effects to strike against Dr. Brennan and Booth." Cam said.  
"Man, this really sounds like a creepy horror movie." Sweets added.  
Hodgins and Cam stared at him intensely.  
"What? You don't think I watch Horror movies?" Sweets questioned and then said, "Anyway, since he works in motion pictures maybe his actions are following some sort of plot sequence. First is the warning, then is the scare, followed by, most likely, the kill."

"I found out how he used the Angelator." Angela yelled from down below.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED.........**


	6. Chapter 5: Truth or Dare

Thanks for your comments. This chapter just starts narrowing down on the culprit. Lots of twists and turns, and lots of writing. Hope you like it :)

* * *

**Chapter 5  
**

**TRUTH OR DARE**

He had never expected an attempt to her life much like this one. The perpetrator was screwing up with his mind. No matter how much he did not want to say it out loud, he knew that he wanted to feel like she was safe again so they could go on with their lives, in a way it had never been before:  
Secure.  
Predictable.  
Reliable.  
For all the time they had been partners it had never been that way: from serial killers to con-men to secret societies, their job had always implied a serious and concrete element of risk. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been their job. She had been a target many times before. But, this time it had hit too close, too inconceivably close. What was going to happen? Would he be ready? Would they be ready? He felt like his mind was about to explode, just like his car had before. Ka-boom!  
One question was obsessing him.  
His teeth clenched.  
His eyes shut tight.  
Would this result in the death of his friend?  
His partner?  
His ally?  
His....?  
Temperance Brennan?

"Booth?" Temperance's voice called.  
"Yeah.'" He said his brain still pounding.  
Temperance pulled the covers off from her bandaged legs, and started to scoot off the hospital bed.  
"Whoa Bones! What are you doing?" Booth asked, almost panicking..  
"I'm going back to the lab. Hand me those crutches."  
"W...what?....no!"  
"What do you mean no?"  
"I mean no"  
"Booth I'm going to the lab. Now, hand me those crutches!"  
"No, you are going to hurt yourself!"  
"No I'm not. Now if you don't hand me those crutches I'll get them myself." Temperance said pushing herself up off of the bed.  
"No! Whoa! Sit down! I'll get them! I don't know why you always are so impulsive." Booth said grabbing the crutches to walk over to the door .  
"I am not impulsive! I just like to find answers!"  
"Here you go..." Booth said rolling a wheelchair over to her.  
"I specifically requested crutches, I don't want a wheelchair."  
"You need a wheel chair. Besides, what says style more then this highly used, comfortable, not so shiny wheel chair?" Booth said grinning hoping that she would take the bait.  
'Fine, bring it over" Temperance said motioning . Booth casually hopped over leaving the crutches behind on the edge of her bed. Temperance stood up as Booth helped her in.  
"Onward!" Booth said jokingly, pointing to the door.  
"Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth! You have an urgent call from the Jeffersonian they need your help." A tall blond nurse announced completely out of breath.

* * *

Squeak...Squeak...Squeak...Squeak....Squeak...

"Booth, why didn't you let me use crutches? This wheel-chair is annoying." Temperance said, wheeling herself in front of the Jeffersonian doors. The doors opened and she rolled herself in.  
"What? I don't hear anything." Booth said smirking trying not to laugh.  
Squeak...Squeak...Squeak...  
"Can you hear that now?" Temperance repeated.  
Squeak...Squeak...Squeak....  
"Nope!" Booth said, finally laughing out loud.  
Squeak...  
"You're hopeless!" Temperance said, smiling slightly.  
"What?"  
"You're hopeless!"

"Sweetie!" Angela came running to greet her friend.  
Booth looked at Angela and started to laugh. Angela was covered in soot. Black stains were apparent on her clothes, while her hair was jumbled so much that it looked like a bird's nest.  
"What?" Angela asked.  
"Nothing, but you got something on your cheek." Booth stated fingering one of his cheeks, but didn't say anything about the rest of her face.  
"Oh, thanks." Angela said, rubbing her cheek as hard as she could, but ended up smearing the rest of her face. Temperance smiled and looked at Booth who was turning red trying his best not to laugh.  
"Ange, you said it was urgent. What did you figure out?" Temperance said, immediately switching into professional mode.  
"I think it would be better, if I showed you." Angela said then continued, "But I don't want any one bothering me about the mess I made. I got enough of it from my mother, and from Hodgins just barely."  
Booth and Temperance looked curiously at each other, but followed Angela to her office. Angela was walking as fast as she could, and it became difficult for Booth on crutches to chase after her. Temperance just gracefully squeaked along beside her.  
Squeak….Squeak…Squeak…  
"Okay remember what I told you." Angela said, pushing open her office door.  
"Oh, my!" Temperance whispered, not only was Angela's office a wreck, but the Angelator had been destroyed.

* * *

Hodgins', Temperance's, Booth's, Sweets', and Cam's eyes were all looking at Angela. Confusion and surprise were mixed in their expressions. Pieces of the Angelator were torn to bits and scattered on the floor, wires were hanging from the ceiling, and the scent of burnt rubber and metal permeated the air, and whenever someone walked or moved they felt an accompaniment of crackling underneath them.

"Angela! What did you do?" Temperance shouted.

"Hey, now what did I tell you?" Angela scowled defensively and quickly folding her arms.

" This is our number one asset, and you have destroyed it!"

"I didn't destroy it! Well... at least not completely. I rearranged it! It still works!" Angela reassured while smiling sheepishly.

"Well it...um...Bones come on, it doesn't look that bad." Booth said, trying to sound encouraging.

"Angela why did you do this?" Temperance said getting furious."

"I did this for you." Angela said plainly.

"Me? What does this have to do with anything?" Temperance asked distraught. Temperance was mystified, she was starting to be concerned for her friend's state of mind.

"You were blown up! Figuratively speaking your skull is right on my desk, and I really don't want to be looking at your real one."

"We are ready this time." Temperance encouraged.

"Well I'm not." Angela announced with meaning.

"We need you Ange." Temperance stared sternly at her friend. Her eyes looked deeply into her eyes trying to comprehend the structure of her logic. Angela knelt down at Temperance's level, and caressed her hand. She then spoke gently...

"Honey, I'm not going to leave you, quite the opposite in fact. I did this to find out how this idiotic moron did it, so I can find him and tear him into pieces!"

"I don't understand."

"What Angela is trying to say is …" Sweets interjected, trying to help Angela explain.

"Here, before you go into shock, I want to show you something." Angela reprised.

"That's probably a good idea." Booth stated  
Angela picked up the remote and aimed it at the projector. The florescent lights flickered and then slowly came back on.

"Okay I'm bringing up some images off of the Jeffersonian camera." Angela announced playing a piece of footage then stopping it.

"Now I'm going to map out your face right here." Angela said as she place a grid on the picture.

"See we have one map of your face, but watch this." Angela started bringing up hundreds of images and footage all of them graphing the image placed before them. The images started to line up onto the screen and merging all together. Then Temperance's face seemed to mold onto the screen.

"Wow." everyone's voice chimed together.

"…And for the Grand Finale…" Angela said, grabbing a different device that looked like it was made by a five year old. Duct tape, wires, metal plates, and different types of logic boards that had been stripped off of the Angelator were wrapped around it . Everyone looked at Angela's contraption in stupor.

"We're kind of short on time." Angela said getting back to what she was doing. She flipped a switch and then quickly picked back up her remote. Pushing a couple of buttons the image went into metamorphosis, replacing the flesh with bones. Temperance's skull was now on the Angelators screen.

"And there we have it!" Angela said proudly

"How did you do this?" Hodgins asked.

"Engineering the Angelator backwards, hence the mess, dirt, smell, and funny contraptions." Angela said pointing to the various things.

"Congratulations Angela I think you are going to make the front page of the Journal of Science and Technology." Booth smiled. "Nobel Prize anyone?" Cam laughed.

"Wait, Angela, you used footage from the Jeffersonian camera?" Booth wondered.

"Yea, it is the best way to go unnoticed if you are stalking someone and get images to do this." Sweets explained.

"So you are saying that this person is stalking her using the Jeffersonian camera?" Cam asked standing up a little taller.  
"They used the pictures to keep a distance away from Brennan, because lets face it he can't be taking pictures up close and personal. Plus with video you can make a 3D rendering simply and efficiently since you can get all angles and sides of her face. Even though the idea is kind of creepy it is actually really smart." Angela said explaining.  
"The one question I have is how did they make this 3D rendering without ruining the Angelator like you had to?" Cam wondered, her brow moving upward.  
"You remember when I showed you the logs from the Angelator? There were only two, logins making believe the program was uploaded."  
"Yes, I understand that, but this simply does not answer my question." Cam added, furrowing her glance a little.  
" He would have made it elsewhere, giving that he works for the movies he probably would have access to some good equipment." Hodgins added.  
"This guy probably made the skull somewhere secluded like his house or somewhere where no one would venture." Sweets explained.  
"Wait, I am confused." Temperance asked.  
"He works in the movie industry?" Booth asked.  
"Yeah, Christina Special Effects" Hodgins chimed in.  
"Did you check who works there?" Booth added.  
"No one came up that we know."  
"Of course it didn't!" Booth answered sarcastically.  
"I did call them and they should be emailing me a more complete list of their employees and contractors, so we can see if anyone new comes up." Hodgins said, trying to sound somewhat reassuring.  
"Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth we found some of the extra things from the blast, and brought them here" A F.B.I tech called walking into the room. His brown hair was scuffed and a five o' clock shadow showed that the guy had had a really long day.  
"How about the cell phone? Did you find the cell phone?" Angela asked  
"Yes-" He said. Angela, not caring about what else he was about to say, ran out of the room in search of the phone  
"There are more car parts, particulates, and some socks." The tech guy yelled trying to have her hear the rest of what else came.  
"Don't really care!!!" Angela yelled from afar.  
"But, I like the particulate parts." Hodgins sparkled running out of the room and following in Angela's direction.  
"Socks?" Sweets asked intrigued by the subject.  
"Apparently there was a lot of socks in the underlying compartment of the car, and when the car blew up it scattered parts of them everywhere." The Tech guy explained.  
"You have socks in your car? Why do you keep socks in your car?" Temperance asked, flustered.  
"Hey, I have my socks. You have your gloves."  
"That is just strange, Booth." Temperance commented  
"Hey now don't attack my socks. I don't attack your gloves, which you keep everywhere."  
"It is a needed part of equipment, while socks are just vain."  
"Socks are not vain."  
"Whatever you say Booth." Temperance smiled devilishly.  
"BOOTH, BRENNAN! COME HERE NOW!!!" Angela said screaming as loud as she could.  
Temperance, Booth and Sweets came rushing to meet her. Angela was up on the platform of the Jeffersonian staring at a computer like someone would look at a horror film.  
"Angela what's the matter?" Temperance asked from below.  
"Honey please tell me that you changed your home phone number!" Angela said, sounding like she was pleading.  
"No. Why?" Temperance asked confused.  
"I scanned the microchip in your phone to trace where the phone call came from.....Honey, they called from your home!"

* * *

"Okay, I need you to be there and get as much backup as possible. We don't know what is in there. Get a bomb squad... everything! This guy is a lunatic, and has tricks pulled up his sleeves like a musician. I want to be one step ahead." Booth shouted on the phone, quickly turned it off and then sat in the back seat of yet another one of Hodgins new cars.

"Can this thing go any faster, Hodgins?" Booth asked, leaning over the front seat, his head in the middle of both of them.

"I am already above the speed limit!" Hodgins said making a quick right turn skidding into the next lane.

"If I had my car we'd be there already." Booth commented.

"Does he seriously go that fast in his car?" Hodgins asked.

"Yeah, whenever he has his siren on he goes twice as fast as you are going right now." Temperance explained.

"DUUUUDE" Hodgins laughed.

"Just drive." Booth grunted, folded his arms, sitting back, hitting the seat with a thud.

* * *

Angela, Cam, and Sweets once again gathered around Lorenzo in the security room, all of them were in an anxious mood needing answers. Lorenzo hearing the breathing on the back of his neck turned his chair around.

"Okay, what do you want now Ms. Saroyan." Lorenzo asked, sitting back in his chair, pasting a fake smile on his face.

"We need to upload the yesterday's footage of the Jeffersonian parking lot from 6:00 to 7:00 PM"

"On a DVD." Angela cut in.

"Okay, sure." Lorenzo said picking up a blank DVD and sliding it in the machine.

Lorenzo started burning the DVD then swiveled on his chair and smiled at the impatient people around him.

Sweets was in the background touching different objects in the room, but paying close attention to the computer.

Angela and Cam were hovering over Lorenzo's shoulders.

Angela on his left and Cam on his right.

The DVD finally popped out.

"There is your DVD. Now you can give me my space?" Lorenzo asked.

Angela grabbed the DVD out of his hands and ran out of the room. Cam and Sweets followed .

"You're welcome." Lorenzo said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

* * *

"Right around here Hodgins" Temperance said, pointing to a spot in front of the door accompanied by many other cars. Hodgins looked stunned, glancing at all the vehicles that were clumped together into a designated area.

"How many people did you call Booth" Hodgins asked.

"Just enough." Booth said bluntly.

Hodgins looked at him in the passenger side mirror in awe, while he stopped the car and parked.

* * *

Angela gently placed the DVD into her office computer. She scrolled down and clicked play, while they stared at a blank parking lot.

"Are you sure this might work?" Sweets asked.

"If it doesn't at least it is a clue." Cam said.

"Now I have a theory, and this might just explain it. "Angela said.

"Wow, look at those pretty passerines." Sweets said pointing to a bird on the screen.

"What?" Angela said.

"Those birds are passerines, or more commonly known as the perching birds. It is one of the most common birds." Sweets said explaining himself.

"Wow, you must know your birds." Angela commented.

"I thought they were pretty when I was little, me and my aunt loved them. When she babysat me we would go bird watching." Sweets smiled. He liked to rekindle memories from the past.

The team watched the birds for a second right before they took off, both swiveling almost hitting each other.

"Wow that was close!" Sweets said.

"Now, when we looked at the Angelator room, to see if we could find any signs of the perpetrator on camera, we found nothing except, a blank room. But, I still know that he messed with the footage. Since the Angelator room was so dark it would have been easy to take a piece of the past footage,and you could not see any difference in light or objects in the room. But, outside at different times of the day there is different lighting, sounds, and things moving around. This is why we could possibly see something changing in the parking lot, instead of a dark room. When he strapped the bomb to Booth's car in the Jeffersonian parking lot he must have changed the footage so he would not have been seen, but if we can pinpoint where he changed the footage not only will this prove my theory, but it will give us a timeline also!" Angela taught.

"Wait, couldn't he have placed the bomb in the car when Brennan and Booth were in FBI building?" Cam asked.

"No there is pretty high security in the FBI parking lot, plus the culprit is familiar with the Jeffersonian Building, and is more comfortable in that atmosphere." Sweets explained.

"So, what do we…" Cam started, but sweets cut her off.

"Look, it's the passerines again." Sweets said.

Cam and Angela squinted their eyes at the screen. They watched the birds again. They stood for a brief second before taking off swiveling and almost hitting each other like before.

"Is it just me or did I have a Déjà vu moment?" Cam asked.

"That's strange." Angela said, going back to the previous video segment of the birds. She brought both earlier and the latter footage side to side onto the screen. She studied it closely.

"It is the same footage from five minutes before, see the birds flight pattern are the same. I was right! The footage has been doctored!" Angela said quite enthused.

"But, how did the guy doctor the footage while he was placing the bomb underneath the car. Wouldn't that take two people?" Cam asked.

"It's possible." Angela said.

* * *

"It's clear, Agent Booth!" a middle aged woman from the bomb tech announced coming out of the apartment complex. Temperance, Booth, and Hodgins, were inside the vehicle.

"Okay Booth lets go!" Temperance said.

"Wait let me get the…." Booth started.

"Forget about the wheelchair I'm fine! Let's go!" Temperance yelled impatiently.

"Let me and Hodgins help you out though, Okay?" Booth reassured. Booth and Hodgins came over to the front helping her out with a brief pull she was standing.

"Let's go!" Hodgins said. Hodgins and Booth helped her up into her apartment.

"It seems no one has been in here." Booth said, when he walked into the apartment.

Temperance looked around her apartment eyeing the different things that she had used on the skull the day before, she went over to counter and pressed the flickering light on the answering machine. To her utter astonishment the robotic voice filled the air. "I win! That was fun! Lets play again! Your choice! Truth or Dare!"

**To Be Continued**


	7. Chapter 6: None of the Above

This chapter is very short, but it is really suspenseful.

* * *

_NONE OF THE ABOVE (chapter 6)  
_

Temperance thought about Antaeus. In Greek mythology he was the son of Gaia, the primal goddess personifying the Earth. Antaeus, was a wrestler who won all his fights by drawing strength where others couldn't. Every time he was thrown on the ground in a fight he would gain strength just by contact with his Mother Earth. With this power he had become unbeatable.  
She could really identify with Antaeus. When she was figuratively thrown down she gained strength, courage, and her intelligence flowed out of her like a fountain of water.  
When she was at her wits end she could rely on and draw strength from someone so close to her that she could almost touch him.  
She felt that she had hit the ground. She was bloody, broken and bruised.  
But, she gained strength.  
Courage.  
Capability.  
Intelligence.  
Her insecurities disappeared.  
"Bring it on!" She screamed in her mind.  
"I'm ready!"

There was a knocking on Temperance's apartment door. Sweets was standing in the hall way with Angela and Cam.

"Sweets, the door is already open. You didn't have to knock." Temperance said motioning them to come in.

"Just being polite." Sweets muttered.

"What exactly happened?" Angela asked, stepping over the "Police line do not cross" tape, and walked over Hodgins, Temperance, and Booth. Sweets and Cam following after her.

"Nothing much."

"Nothing much? What do you mean nothing much? The insane guy called you and left a message."

"Majorly creepy dude." Hodgins added.

"But, how was he able to call you from your house?" Cam asked.

"We think that he has been playing with the phone lines ... so he can make it look like he called from somewhere else." Booth explained.

"Can we listen to the message?" Angela asked.

"Yeah." Temperance said. She walked over to the phone and pressed the answering machine button.

"I win! That was fun! Lets play again! Your choice… Truth or Dare?"

"Oh man!" Sweets said, his eyes beginning to widen, he stepped over to the machine and played the message again.

"I win! That was fun! Lets play again! Your choice… Truth or Dare?"

"Oh man, do you guys understand what this means?" Sweets asked with a big smile on his face.

"Sweets, we have already listened to it a thousand times before. Can't you just tell us what it is?" Booth asked

"Let's play again, Truth or Dare?" Sweets quoted

"I don't understand." Temperance said.

"He is going to call back. Ready to play

"Oh man!" Hodgins lamented

* * *

"Okay, I was completely and utterly wrong. He is not a creepy dude. He is a majorly, deranged, insane, creepy dude!" Hodgins said.

"So he is going to call back, but then what?" Cam asked.

"He wants to play Truth or Dare." Sweets said bluntly.

"I don't know what that is?" Temperance questioned.

"Truth or Dare? You don't what Truth or Dare is?" Booth asked, surprised at his partner that didn't know such a simple game.

"Truth or Dare is a classic party game. The game is played by a group of people taking turns either answering a "truth" question, or performing a "dare."

"Oh, so wouldn't we want to ask him a truth question. That would only be logical." Temperance concluded.

"Yes, but this guy has something pulled up his sleeve. I don't know what, but he has to much pride to give in to a simple question." Sweets announced, pulling up a chair to sit on.

"So do we ask him a question or not?" Booth asked annoyed.

"Yes, but beware of tricks." Sweets added.

"Tricks?" Booth asked his face morphed into a scared expression.

"When do you think he will call?" Angela asked, rubbing her cheek.

"When you least, expect it." Sweets said.

"You know I agree with Hodgins. This guy is a majorly, deranged, creepy dude." Angela added, slumping herself on a chair.

Hodgins laughed, and picked up his phone. "Sweet, I got the completed list of workers from Christina Special Effects."

"Who are the other workers?" Cam asked.

"Sharon Smith, Tanner white, and Anthony Fisher... Fisher?" Hodgins inquired.

"Anthony Fisher is Colin Fisher's father!" Temperance proclaimed.

"How do you know?" Booth asked, looking at Temperance.

"I hired all my workers and read their resumes, Anthony Fisher is Colin's Father." Temperance explained

"Okay, I need everyone to go back to the Jeffersonian to check if Fisher is there, and I'm going to his apartment, Hodgins give me your keys!" Booth ordered. Hodgins tossed his keys to Booth.

"Don't get it blown up, or scratched it's Italian!!!" Hodgins yelled.

"Booth I want to come with you!" Temperance pleaded running after Booth.  
Everyone raced out of the door of Temperance's apartment building, and to their cars. With the slamming of the doors and the starting of engines everyone was off.

The Ride wasn't long for Booth and Temperance. The Apartment was really close, and the coordinates to the apartment were given quickly.

"Okay, Bones we have backup coming, but I need you to stay behind me." Booth said as they got out of Hodgins car. They slowly walked up the flights of stairs trying not to get noticed. They came to the door. When Booth gave the sign for Temperance to stay behind him, Booth kicked opens the door. He walked in his gun pointing at his surroundings. The flashlight on Booth's gun illuminated the dim apartment.

"F.B.I, make your presence known!" Booth commanded.  
Temperance gazed at several television sets placed on the ground. They had seemed to be hooked to the Jeffersonian cameras. She watched as Angela, Hodgins, Cam, and Sweets entered the Jeffersonian.

"Bones, over here!" Booth yelled. Temperance quickly came over, finding the beat, disfigured, and broken body of Colin Fisher on the ground. She rushed over and knelt by Fisher. Her fingers went around his neck feeling for a pulse. Immediately she started CPR. Booth's phone started to ring.

"Hello" Booth said answering the phone.

"Your turn, what do you want to ask?.... Truth or Dare?" the robotic voice chimed.

"What's your name, and what do you want?" Booth asked.

"That can be your question...but wouldn't you rather know where the bomb in the Jeffersonian is hidden? Do you want all these people here to get killed? Some of them are your friends."

"What?" Booth asked, fear became noticeable in his voice. He stared down at Temperance, she glaned up a little, but not much, so she could keep a steady beat while she resuscitated the victim. Her hair was stringing from sweat. She kept pushing on Colin's chest in regular intervals with both hands. She counted out loud, while she winced in pain from the wounds on her legs.

"So agent Booth what shall your question be?" The robotic voice asked.

There Booth was at a fork in the road. He remembered his days back in school when the test answers had listed "None Of The Above" as one of the options. His High School language teacher always put at least five of them on her tests. He enjoyed just boldly filling in the circle, for the answer that he wanted wasn't there. He missed that. He wished he could answer this question like that. But he couldn't.

If he asked their name, he would be able to catch the perpetrator. They may be able to find the bomb. But how much time was left on the timer? Five minutes? An hour? Questions arose. He buried his face in his hands and asked,

"Where is the Bomb?"

"Oh yes, I knew that you would ask that! You will find it underneath the floor of the Angelator!"

"How can I dismantle it?" Booth asked quickly.

"I only said I would give one answer." The robotic voice said, then they hung up.

"Wait!" Booth yelled, but it was too late.

**TO BE CONTINUED....**


	8. Chapter 7: Trigger Happy

**TRIGGER HAPPY**

_CHAPTER 7_

"Ange, there is a Bomb in the Jeffersonian!" Booth said, trying to keep calm.

"What? Wh... Where?" Angela said horrified.

"What is it Ange?" Hodgins asked worried.

"I can help you, but I need you to trust me. I can see you, and I can walk you through the process." Booth continued.

"How can you see me?" Angela asked, confused.

"Colin has monitors of the Jeffersonian cameras in his apartment. Now I need you to put the phone on loud speaker so I can speak to the others." Booth said. Angela did as she was told.

"There is a bomb in the Jeffersonian. Cam I need you to evacuate the building quickly make sure everyone is out." Booth commanded, Cam ran out of the room and quickly sounded the alarm.

"Now, the bomb is hidden underneath the Angelator, Sweets and Hodgins I need you to follow Angela." The three raced to the room, having to dodge the people being evacuated from the building. They almost felt like they were at a stand still, they could hear the siren ringing through their ears, and they could smell the nervous sweats radiating off of the bodies. As they reached Angela's office they stopped.

"Booth." Angela said her voice shaking.

"What Ange?" Booth said his voice raising an octave.

"What if the bomb is motion censored?" Angela said while the others stopped at a stand-still.

"Sweets!" Booth called

"Yeah I think that he wouldn't do that....I am pretty sure he wouldn't" Sweets stuttered.

"Sweets that is not an answer!" Booth yelled

"I am not sure, I...I know that he wants us to do this." Sweets started

"Do what?" Hodgins asked.

"To be scared. N..not to be sure." Sweets said, as he watched Angela move to her desk, and ducked under it.

"What else do you know?" Booth wondered.

"I..I know that he wants us to ruin the Angelator, he knows that it is the only way for us to catch him!" Sweets yelled.

"Well, I guess that we will have to find another way!" Angela said as she emerged from her desk with a sledge hammer, and walked over to the Angelator.

"Angela no! Hodgins screamed. Angela didn't stop she brought the sledge hammer up to her chest and smashed down on the Angelator.

* * *

Hodgins' and Sweets' mouths gaped open, frozen in disbelief. They stared at Angela's hands that had just barely smashed the Angelator with a sledgehammer. Angela stood up and shook the shards of glass and debris from her shirt. She smiled triumphantly, as she dropped the huge hammer onto the ground.

"Booth?" Angela called, "Are you still there?"

"Are you insane Angela?" Booth shouted over the intercom. Booth stared down at his partner who had just revived Colin, and was now hurriedly dressing the wounds to stop the bleeding.

"Sometimes, depends on what mood I'm in." Angela joked.

"You could have killed all of us!" Hodgins announced, still stunned.

"The odds were our favor, even Sweets said that!" Angela insisted.

"I said nothing to that effect." Sweets asserted.

"I read between the lines….Booth are you going to help me or not?" Angela asked.

"Can you see the bomb?" Booth wondered.

Angela looked into the dome of the Angelator. Her smile dropped, when she saw nothing.

"Hodgins, hand me that hammer!" Angela commanded, pointing over to the sledgehammer.

"No, I'll do it!" Hodgins said, picking up the hammer off of the floor and pushing Angela to the side.

"Where in the world did you get a hammer like this anyway?" Hodigins asked, swinging the hammer, and hitting the side of the Angelator.

"Since we started getting serial killers, and crazy lunatics I started sneaking in heavy tools and weapons, that is only one of a Gazillion things that I have under my desk." Angela said, smirking.

Hodgins swung at the Angelator again, shards of debris and glass peppered the air, and he covered his face for protection.

"I have a feeling that that isn't all that you have done to prepare yourself!" Sweets said glancing at Angela eying her suspiciously.

"Yeah, I took some self defense classes. I can throw a pretty good punch!" Angela smiled proudly.

"Awesome!" Sweets said.

"I found it" Hodgins announced, kneeling down to brush the debris off the bomb. Angela rushed over to it and examined it quickly.

"Booth!" Angela called.

"Yeah, Angela." Booth answered.

"The box is soldered shut!" Angela announced. Hodgins walked over to her desk, and began shuffling through her stuff.

"How much time is left on the timer?" Booth questioned.

"Four minutes twenty nine seconds" Angela called, trying to keep calm, but it was hard since she had never been in a situation like this. Never.

"I want you to leave the Jeffersonian. Go!" Booth ordered.  
Angela's answer was immediate.

"Booth, I know that I can do this. I am not going to let this jerk take something away from us yet again. I know…. I know how to do this, and I know technology … I know what to do… just give me a chance to beat this idiot. If I can't do it in three minutes I will leave. I will run. One chance!"

"Okay Ange…. one chance. I am giving you three minutes. No more. When it is over you leave, and you run."

Angela smiled. She turned around and looked at the others. "I need you guys to leave, NOW."

Hodgins and Sweets complied and were out of the building in no time.

"Lets do this!" Angela yelled at the intercom.

* * *

One chance.

One moment.

One opportunity.

This is what she had. The most difficult decision she would ever make, risking her life to save others, was being made right then.

Her tools were haphazardly scattered around her, while she carefully opened the box.

Three minutes and 10 seconds the clock read...

Angela cringed as she looked at the wires inside the box. They looked like a ball of yarn in a thunderstorm. The clock stared at her, teasing her, obnoxiously beeping every second. For a moment she closed her eyes.

Two minutes and 58 seconds.

"What wire?" Angela thought. Her decision came down to the last two wires, the blue wire and the yellow one. She still didn't know, she was pretty sure about the yellow one, but the blue one looked like a good possibility.

Two minutes and 40 seconds...

If she picked the wrong one.... she would die.

Angela breathed in hard, and slowly released the air out.

She looked at the bomb; as a bead of sweat ran down her face.

Two minutes 25 seconds...

She had a 50/50 chance, but the odds didn't seem to be in her favor, even if she was pretty sure about her choice, but she knew she needed to make a decision

Two minutes and 10 seconds....

Angela leaned down carefully and closed her eyes in fright, as she cut the yellow cord.

The room went silent....

"Angela, you did it, open your eyes!!!!" Booth laughed

"I really don't want to!" Angela said, her face still in shock and her eyes still closed tightly.

"Why?" Booth asked.

"Because this may just be a dream, and I will open my eyes and there will be a bright light and I won't want to walk into it because then I will be dead." she announced in one breath.

"Relax Angela!" Booth said smiling.

There was a knock on Colins' door Booth turned his head, and walked to answer it.

"Who's that?" Angela asked.

"The EMT's." Booth said, opening the door and ushering them over to Temperance.

"For whom?"

"Fisher."

"What happened?"

"The guy almost killed Fisher, and I don't know why, because it looks like he was helping him!"

Silence replaced the conversation.

"Angela are you still there?" Booth asked.

"Booth I know why, and I know who did it!"

"What?.....Who is it?" Booth started to beg, surprised that Angela knew who it was.

"Booth, think about it! Who would Fisher hang around anyway?"

"Someone who loves death, and likes suffering?" Booth joked.

"Fisher hangs around people who are pretty obscure. He talks sometimes to the janitor when no one is watching."

"So the Janitor is the killer?….That kid is barely twelve! Even with all the dark makeup, and black hair he may pass for what?... Fourteen?"

"No, it's not the janitor. Remember the pictures taken of Brennan for the 3D rendering of her skull? We also found evidence that the video had been changed when the guy uploaded the Angelator program. We also found that the video had been changed when he put a bomb in your car." Angela explained.

Booth tensed up recalling the images of the horrific blast, he twisted his head surveying his surroundings. Temperance watched the EMT's push Fisher's gurney out the door. She wiped the sweat from her brow, bent over in exhaustion placing her hands on her knees, then sighed heavily.

Angela continued her explanation, "You see, first of all we thought that it was only one person, but to have done all these things you would have needed at least two. One to change the images, and the other to do the deed."

"I understand the accomplice thing, but who is the person?"

"Booth, who else would have access to the cameras?"

"What do you mean? The Jeffersonian camera man?"

"Yes....Lorenzo…!!!"

"Ange, are you sure? Could he really have done it?"

* * *

"She should be coming out by now." Hodgins said nervously. His hand trembling while he glanced at his watch, once again.

"I wouldn't worry so much. She should be fine" Sweets reassured, but the fidgeting of his feet spoke differently. The two were standing in the parking lot outside of the Jeffersonian while Cam and a couple of guards shouted orders trying to keep the people back. "Stay back please" she repeated over and over to the people who weren't even close to the yellow police tape. Her brow was strained trying to keep the tears from rolling down her frightened face.

"You know what? I am going inside!" Hodgins stated, and he started walking to the door. Sweets grabbed his shoulder.

"You can't go in there, you will kill yourself! Just relax, Angela can do this." Sweets reassured. Hodgins started to relax as Sweets continued to speak, "I read up on Angela. Her mother died when she was four."

"What? Why didn't I know this?" Hodgins asked, his mouth ajar.

"Angela is a very sympathetic person, with a lot of heart, but she is also very private. You didn't even know who her father was until you met him in person. She didn't even tell you about her wedding in Fiji until your wedding day. Should I go on?" Sweets asked.

"No, I think I get it."

"Anyway, her mother was a artist She rented a small studio near Bethesda with a friend. She would bring Angela to work while her father was on tour. Like Angela, her mother was very sympathetic, and gave money to her struggling studio mate, not knowing that the money went to gambling instead of food or rent for her home. With Loan Sharks to pay and endless money borrowed from both ends the friend ended up with a huge amount of debt on her shoulders."

"And then what happened?"

"The Loan Sharks placed a bomb inside the studio, while the friend was off gambling."

"Oh my Gosh!"

"Angela was the one who found the bomb and brought her mother over to see it. The bomb almost ready to explode and her mother shielded her from the blast. Angela survived, but…"

"…Her Mother died."

"Angela became an artist like her mother, but also went into technology so she could take vengeance on the sort of people that killed her mother."

"Like Batman?"

"Sort of. The case is still open, but there has never been any leads, and it has been dormant for a while."

"So this is why Angela didn't want to leave the bomb."

"Yes, you could sort of feel like the 'I am not going to let him take something away from me again', has a double meaning. She still feels like she killed her mother showing her the bomb even if she was four."

"Man."

"Yeah"

"Okay, do you know how badly I want to kill this lunatic?" Angela screamed coming out of the Jeffersonian doors. Sweets, Hodgins, and Cam rushed over to her side giving her an embrace.

"I figured out who it was." Angela said.

"Figured who?" Cam asked.

"The perpetrator….It's Lorenzo."

"Lorenzo…. The Jeffersonian's security guard?" Sweets asked.

"Yes, come on we have to go get Booth and Brennan. I can fill you in on the way."

As the group got into Angela's car Hodgins asked, "What can we expect now?"

"I don't know, but what I know is he's trigger happy." Angela replied as she stepped on the gas.

**To Be Continued**


	9. Chapter 8: The Final Countdown Part 1

Thanks for the comments, they are very much appreciated.

* * *

**Chapter Eight:**

_**"The Final Countdown"**_

_Part One  
_

_ He knew about psychotic people. He had studied them, and observed them. But, there had always been a barrier of some kind:  
Jail cells, glass partitions, television monitors, or an incredibly tough bodyguard watching._

There was always a barrier.

It was required. The insane are caged like animals and observed closely behind glass. But this guy had defied the odds, not only was he free, roaming around, he was nearby watching them, observing them. The thought of it made him squirm with uneasiness.

"Why am I doing this?" Sweets thought to himself. "Why am I here in this car with a woman crazy enough to rip someone's head off."

Yet, he had always admired his associates at the Jeffersonian. They were good intentioned people who were driven by correct principles and values. Even with all their quirks and differences in personality ultimately they all wanted the same thing: to keep the world safe from bad guys. Somewhat like the Justice League; but with Science, dead people, crack humor, and some harmless flirting.

The blaring of horns brought Sweets back to reality.

"Oh come on!" Angela yelled, hammering the horn. "It's green! Go. Go. Go. Green means go. Gooooooo! "

"Ange, calm down." Hodgins urged.

"How did you figure out that it was Lorenzo anyway?" Cam asked grabbing tightly onto the passenger handle to maintain her balance. Angela stepped on the gas.

"He just seemed to have left at the perfect time. I thought it was a little weird when he left in such a hurry. And, he had access to the tapes. He also would be one of the only ones capable of using Colin" Angela said.

"What do you mean using Colin?" Cam questioned.

"Well, when Brennan and Booth went to go get Colin they found him beat up, almost dead. They were carrying him out on a stretcher and taking him to the hospital" Angela explained.

"So what are you saying? Lorenzo beat him up? Why?" Hodgins asked.

"I don't really know, but Fisher was helping him! Maybe he just wanted to play murder mystery." Angela said sarcastically "Who knows?"

"No I don't think so." Sweets said "It doesn't fit."

"What do you mean?" Cam inquired.

"Remember the phone call about his mother?" Sweets asked.

"Yes." Cam answered.

"He didn't want to go. He didn't want to hurt us he wanted to save us." Sweets explained.

"And Lorenzo called him telling him what would happened to his mother if he didn't cooperate." Angela said.

"Yes, Colin wanted to stay to help us, though he knew what would happen to his mother, and himself." Sweets answered.

"Why did Colin help him in the first place then?" Hodgins wondered.

"He probably felt like he had to, if Lorenzo was threatening to hurt his mother." Sweets continued.

"So Fisher was the one who broke into the Angelator and uploaded all the files." Hodgins concluded.

"While Lorenzo changed the video" Cam interjected.

"Then he made the Angelator, and switched it backwards. That's why he came back the second time. He wanted to check to see if he made the skull right!" Angela said.

"Resulting in logging on twice." Cam added.

"He also was the one who took the pictures of Brennan, to do the 3D rendering." Angela proclaimed "With the help of Lorenzo."

"He also used CSEFX, the movie company his father worked at, to make the skull and the bomb." Cam said. "While Lorenzo switched the video."

"Why did Fisher do this? He could have just told us!" Angela asked.

"Fear, and love for his mother." Sweets concluded.

Angela stopped the car at a gas station. The gas station was empty with the exception of the teller inside. The remaining letters on flickering fluorescent sign of the gas station's light was the only real light in the dark gray night.  


_"Angela, we don't have time for gas." Cam observed._

"We are meeting Brennan and Booth here." Angela whispered.

"Why are you whispering?" Sweets asked.

"You see that house over there?" Angela pointed to a yellow rundown house across the street. "That's Lorenzo's house."  
_  
"And there is a car outside!" Sweets whispered._

"Where in the world are they?" Cam asked.

"I don't know, they just called and told me to meet them here!" Angela explained.

"Do you know if they have slushies here?" Hodgins joked. The group turned and stared at him. Showing that they were not in the mood for joking. "Just joking…trying to lighten the mood here." Hodgins announced raising his hands in a defensive position.

There was a knock at the passenger side window. The group jumped up. Booth and Temperance stood by the door, signaling for them to come out.

Angela rolled the window down.

"Good…gr…you scared me!" Angela said trying to mustered a fake smile.

Cam leaned forward from her position in the back seat. "Booth." Cam greeted. "It's a relief to see you."

"Sorry….backup is on the way, but I still need you guys to help guard the house so he doesn't escape. Angela, I need you and Hodgins to help guard the back door. Sweets help guard the left side. Cam, you take the right. Bones and I will guard the front." Booth instructed.

"Booth we can't go in there or even by there without any weapons." Cam said firmly.

"Here," Booth said reaching down to his right ankle retrieving a gun. Temperance grabbed a squeegee out of the bucket next to the gas pump.

"I want a weapon too." She said, shooting a reproving glance in Booth's direction. "And we all know what you think about me having a gun."

"I get the gun this time. Sweet!" Hodgins smiled as he took the gun from Booth.

That's only because you are guarding the back door. Where's Angela?" Booth asked.

"Here." Angela said popping the hood of her car. She grabbed a bat from the trunk. "Cam do you want one?" she asked.

"What is she now, a mobster?" Booth queried.

"I'll make him an offer he can't refuse." Angela quoted as she walked back over to the team. The group snickered, but Temperance confused.

"What is so funny?" Temperance asked.

"It's a quote from the movie 'The Godfather'." Angela answered. "Here you go Sweets?" Angela handed him a crowbar and a bat to Cam.

Booth looked at them amused.

"What?" Angela asked.

"We'd better go Booth." Cam stated.

They moved quickly and quietly to their assigned spots, ever vigilant of Booth's hand gestures. Booth and Temperance had just reached their places when they heard rattling noises from inside the house.

"Booth listen!" Temperance said.

Booth opened the door quietly and stepped, gun first, into the dwelling. Temperance followed. With guns cocked and ready they looked inside the dark, dimly lit house trying to avoid making any unnecessary noise on the squeaking old floor.

"Something isn't right!" Temperance whispered as Booth held back a small cough.

_

* * *

  
_

_**A few minuets earlier…**_

_Angela anxiously slapped her bat in her hand making a continuous rhythmic sound. She glanced at the others._

_Hodgins was kicking the ground next to the home sending sand, and small rocks into the air, and watching them fall on the dead yellow grass._

_ Sweets was studying the withered old house while scraping some old rusty white paint off of the corner of the wall and flicking it off with his index finger._

_ Cam stood with stiff shoulders deep in thought, trying to keep quiet, but wasn't succeeding as she wanted to since her foot was tapping unceasingly._

_Angela tried to calm down the situation by making small talk "What was your first pet, Cam?" She whispered quietly._

_"I had a small dog named Kahuna. Feisty little fellow, but I loved him to bits." Cam laughed quietly causing a smile to come to her face._

_"I had a black cat named Scalliwag." Hodgins murmured._

_"You had a cat? I always thought of you as bug person." Angela questioned._

_"My mom hated bugs and told me that I could never bring a live one into the house."_

_"So you never got to have a pet bug?" Sweets asked._

_"No. I just killed them and mounted them on the wall. My mom got mad at me one time, but I just shrugged my shoulders and said, 'You never said anything about having dead ones in the house!' I was also a smart Alec, but I got to keep my collection! That was a plus."_

_The group laughed quietly._

_"What kind of pet did you have?" Cam asked Sweets._

_"An ant farm. I liked to study them!" Sweets stated._

_"That's a shocker." Hodgins added._

_"Not as much as your bugs!" Sweets spat back._

_Angela and Cam smiled at the comment when the group heard a rustling in the house._

_"What's that?" Sweets asked._

_They listened closer. Then they heard a faint scream coming from the direction of one of the back rooms._

_"He has someone with him!" Cam said._

_Angela opened the back door, and walked in the house. She held tight to her bat so it would not bump the raggedy screen door.  
_

_"Angela, what are you doing?" Hodgins whispered._

** TO BE CONTINUED...**_  
_


	10. Chapter 8: The Final Countdown Part 2

Thanks for the comments, they are very much appreciated.

* * *

**Chapter Eight:**

_**"The Final Countdown"**_

_Part Two  
_

_Booth breathed solidly, watching the air escape from his mouth. It condensed into an elongated cloud. His heart beat rapidly, and his breathing quickened. An expression of fear crept across his normally calm face. Behind him, Temperance scanned the room apprehensively. Her hair dripped sweat, and her clothes were torn, dirty, and bloody._

_ The television once mounted to the wall was tipped on its side and hung from a singular bolt. The screen was shattered. A singular shard fell to the floor, breaking the deathly silence and putting them both on edge. Tables were overturned. Shreds of crumpled and torn magazines were scattered on the floor. The contents of a tipped shelf lay sprawled across the floor._

_A woman's muffled scream echoed from the next room._

_There they found an elderly woman gagged and tied to an office armchair. Her swollen, battered face froze in terror._

_"It's okay, we're here. What is your name?" Booth soothed, removing the gag from her mouth. Tears of relief welled up in her green puffy eyes, swollen from crying._

_"A-adriana Fisher. My son is in danger! Leave me. Find my son! H-he is coming." Adriana said. Her chin quivered._

_"Who is coming?" Temperance asked somewhat frightened._

_"Run! He is behind you! He is here! He is here!" Adriana screamed deafeningly._

_ Booth and Temperance turned around. They stood face to face with the perpetrator, the person they had been searching for, the person who brought them pain, misery, and madness into their mind. The one who had created this nightmare._

_Lorenzo._

_Lorenzo smiled devilishly as he entered the cold, murky room._

_"Agent Booth, I have been waiting!" He said as he closed the wooden door behind him, leaving the room completely dark._

* * *

_ The hall was dark. Most of the mildewed walls were cement, with scarce pieces of mustard colored wallpaper. Dirty water dripped onto Angela's shoulder. She looked up at the dripping water that seeped the ceiling, and dribbled down the wall and onto her shirt._

_She crept down the hallway keeping her back glued to the wall. Her breathing quickened. She stopped momentarily telling herself to "Get a grip. Stay in control!"_

_As she approached the door, she heard the voices inside the room. She peeped through a broken slat in the wooden door._

_"Agent Booth, this is a pleasant surprise." Lorenzo spoke in a low tone, but audible enough for Angela to hear. Booth's gun was pointed at Lorenzo. The two stared at each other._

_"It is good to hear from you, too." Booth spoke sarcastically "Now you can be put in prison for what you have done." He waved his gun at him._

_"For what I've done? For what I have done!" Lorenzo yelled, his eyes wild with rage, "What about you Seeley Booth? You've killed many a man, including my father!"_

_Booth's mind scanned his past, as he tried to recall each painful episode._

_"The sniper! Sniper can't recall who has been killed! How many is it Booth?" Lorenzo taunted._

_Temperance shot back, "That is insignificant. Booth has saved more lives than he has taken!"_

_"Temperance Brennan, the forensic anthropologist! Haven't you had a go at killing people? How many is it now?" Lorenzo asked taking a step closer. "I have been reading up on you both, I became a security guard to go dig into your past."_

_"Why do want her anyway? It seems that your grudge is with me." Booth asked lifting his gun higher._

_"I didn't want her Seeley, I wanted you!" Lorenzo cracked a smile._

_"But…the skull, and the note?" Temperance wondered._

_"And the bomb, and the phone calls! You have just been the bait dear. I only used you to get to him. How else could it play out? Threats wouldn't ruffle Agent Seeley Booth." Lorenzo made another small step into the light that came from the ceiling above._

_Angela's mouth gaped in disbelief. Behind his back, from her vantage point behind the door Lorenzo hid a gun._

_"But" Booth began to speak. "We seem to the advantage. You seem to be unarmed." Booth grabbed the handcuffs from his back pocket, and waved them at him. "Will we come quietly?"_

_"Yes, but I have to do something first." Lorenzo brought his hand from behind his back to revealing the silver revolver._

_What happened in that brief second was all a blur. Angela came through the door and swung the bat at Lorenzo's head. While Lorenzo wheeled around discharging his gun at Angela. Lorenzo dropped to the floor head first, falling like a tree in the forest. Angela fell to the ground clutching at the wound in her side._

_"Angela!" Temperance screamed, she ran to her friend, who was loosing blood. Booth and Temperance knelt beside her._

_"We caught him." Angela smiled coughing slightly. Her eyes grew dark and heavy._

_"Why Angela? Why did you do that?" Temperance asked stroking her hair as a tear fell across her cheek. Booth looked at Temperance solemnly._

_"He was about to kill you….I-I couldn't let you have all the fun could I?" Angela laughed weakly. Booth and Temperance smiled._

_"Angela?" Temperance started to talk "Angela" But Angela's eyes closed._

_**To Be Continued...**_


	11. Chapter 9: The Greater Good

Sorry, for the confusion. I have been having major technical difficulties. For some odd reason, the previous posting of this chapter does not work. I re-posted it, and every thing went well. Thank you for your patience! :)

Dear readers,

I am sorry for the long wait, but I finally bring you the last chapter of "The Skull that Was Bones" It is a bitter-sweet feeling to finish this. I would like to dedicate this chapter to everyone for your support.

I would also like to dedicate this to my mother and father who have helped me through my writers block, and bad grammar. I love you!

Last, but not least I would like to dedicate this chapter to the LovelyBones1. I would like to thank her for the movie trailer she made for this fanfiction. She did a wonderful job.

Without further adieu, I give you the last chapter of "The Skull that was Bones"

Tell me what you think! :D

* * *

**Chapter Nine:**

_**"The Greater Good"**_

_He was shocked._

_They heard the gunshot ring out. Concerned for their friends who rested inside; he, Cam, and Sweets ran into the dark house. Terrifying thoughts raced through Hodgins mind with every step._

_Thump._

_Did they get Lorenzo?_

_Thump._

_Or did that shot hurt one of his friends?_

_Thump._

_Were they okay?_

_ Cautiously he pushed the old wooden door open. Lorenzo lay sprawled across the floor. Blood trickled down his face. For a brief moment he felt relief. But, when he turned his head, his worst fears were realized. Temperance and Booth were hunched over Angela's body. Temperance's bloody hands pressed against Angela's side. Booth was on the phone with the 911 operator._

_"Come on Angela! Stay with me!" Temperance coaxed, as tears welled up in her eyes and rolled down onto her cheeks. She pushed tighter on the wound._

_Hodgins rushed to Angela's side and knelt down. Angela's face looked pale. Her eyes were almost shut._

_"Come on, Angela, you can do this." Temperance said, "You can do this! The ambulance will be here soon!"_

_Hodgins looked at Cam and Sweets, and swallowed hard. "Hey," he said smoothly trying to sound courageous._

_At the sound of his voice Angela turned her head slowly in his direction. "Hey," She smiled at him, coughing weakly._

_"What happened?" he asked, stroking her hand._

_"I got shot, I thought that was pretty noticeable though." Angela laughed, and coughed again. She closed her eyes._

_"No." Temperance said. "I know you want to sleep, but you need to stay awake."_

_"I know," Angela agreed._

_Hodgins squeezed Angela's hand, "You can do this! Come on, keep your eyes open! Talk to me." He sighed in relief when he heard the sirens in the distance._

_

* * *

_

_ Hodgins tapped lightly on the open hospital door. He held a bouquet of roses and a box of chocolates. "I had to smuggle these past the nurses," he said_

_"Look," Angela pointed to the T.V. "Another news anchor reporting on 'The Skull that was Bones,'" she observed. "I wonder how many segments have aired?"_

_"I don't know," Hodgins said. "It sure has caused a lot of commotion, that's for sure. But, you have been named the hero of the day."_

_"Yes, I am quite a celebrity," she joked, "I was even nominated for the Popular Science award for achievement in reverse engineering. She held up the white envelope, waving it."_

_"Wow!" Hodgins said._

_"For the Angelator," she reminded him, "which doesn't exist anymore."_

_"So how are you going to win an award for a smashed Angelator?"_

_"I am going to rebuild it, but the piece of metal in my side put a hold on the matter. Where is everyone?"_

_"Dr. Brennan and Booth were admitted to the hospital to recover from their injuries. But they have had a hard time staying in their beds. They'll probably be here anytime.  
Yesterday, Booth ended up falling asleep in that chair," he pointing to a old leather sofa, "while Dr. Brennan fell asleep holding your hand. Cam ordered them to get some rest."_

_"That's Cam alright." Angela chuckled. "Where has she been?"_

_"Cam has been here as often as she could. It is hard to keep up while dodging the media and finishing paperwork for the trial. She has become a busy woman with press conferences and meetings."_

_"What happened to Colin?" Angela asked._

_"Fisher came to yesterday. His mother was sitting by his side to greet him."_

_"That must have been some reunion!" Angela remarked._

_"Fisher's future seems a little bleak. But, Booth found a good lawyer in hopes that Fisher could receive a lighter sentence or get a plea bargain. After all, in some way he did try to save their lives."_

_"What about Lorenzo?"_

_"Sweets was sent to interrogate Lorenzo, and create a profile for the case. Lorenzo showed no remorse. He boasted about his accomplishments, bragged that given the if chance to do it over again, he would. Sweets left the room in a hurry fighting the urge to bloody his nose."_

_"He should have! He is just a creep."_

_"Oh you're awake," Temperance exclaimed. Angela's face brightened seeing all of her co-workers at the door._

_"How are you?" Sweets asked._

_"Fine, considering." Angela said. "How are things holding, Cam?_

_"Justice at its finest," Cam smiled._

_"I brought you something," Booth said, lifting up the carefully wrapped blue and green package._

_"What is it?" Angela asked untying the red ribbon. She put her hands in the box and pulled out a plastic skull. She looked at it in amusement. "That is sick!" she laughed._

_"I wanted to get you the original, but since it is evidence, I bought a fake online," Booth smiled._

_"Is that Cams article?" Hodgins asked, pointing to the newspaper in Temperance's hand._

_"Yes," Temperance said flipping it to the front page. "'Larger then Life,' by Camille Saroyan," she read._

_"What are you waiting for Cam? Read it!" Angela urged. Temperance handed the newspaper to Cam. Cam read out loud._

"Love.

People sing about it, write about it, and paint about it. Everyone seems to know what love is, but no one seems to be able to define it. Each frail attempt at a definition seems inadequate. The definition of love varies with each individuals own personal experience.

When asked what love is, one person answers, Love is the largest experience in life while another says, The subject is simply irrelevant

One scientist defines love as a chemical balance of dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, and a nerve growth factor.

A Psychologist depicts love as a cognitive and social phenomenon.

How can love mean nothing and still everything?

There was a time when I didn't believe in love. Serving as a cop for ten years I saw things beyond description. Ive seen selfishness, coveting, possessiveness, violence, cruelty, intimidation, and manipulation.

Perhaps I became calloused and the idea of love faded. That is until just lately.

During the most recent case of mine, more familiarly called, 'The Skull that was Bones.' I learned about love through two of my colleagues, Dr. Temperance Brennan, and Ms. Angela Montenegro. Their friendship has always been strong, but Ive seen it magnified through one of the toughest cases we've ever had.

Angela Montenegro taught me about the self-transcendent nature of love. She gave her all to save her friends life. With those actions she showed me the power of love.

Dr. Brennan is a full-fledged scientist, yet she showed me less about science and more about love. She showed me that love is more than just a feeling because feelings change. Love is a constant driving force of life.

Fr. Jerome Cummings wrote, "Love is shown in your deeds, not in your words."

People claim that they fall out of love, but really they stop performing the act of loving. They may become lazy or apathetic, or they may begin to take things for granted.

A true and loving friendship is rare. It is a treasure to be valued. Love is more than a chemical reaction, more that a social phenomenon, It is more even than the largest experience of life.

It is larger then life."

_**........THE END.......**_


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